Apptronik announced a $520 million Series A extension on February 11, 2026, bringing total Series A funding to over $935 million and pushing the Austin-based humanoid robotics startup's valuation to approximately $5.3 billion. The financing round, co-led by B Capital and Google with participation from Mercedes-Benz, AT&T Ventures, John Deere, and Qatar Investment Authority, values the company at roughly triple its initial Series A valuation from early 2025.
The funding arrives as competition intensifies between humanoid robotics developers seeking to commercialize general-purpose robots for industrial applications. Apptronik CEO Jeff Cardenas emphasized the company aims to deploy Apollo humanoid robots in manufacturing and logistics environments ahead of rivals including Tesla's Optimus, which CEO Elon Musk recently acknowledged remains in early research and development stages despite Tesla planning $20 billion in capital expenditures for AI infrastructure and robotics in 2026.
Apptronik's Apollo robots stand approximately five feet eight inches tall, weigh 160 pounds, carry 55 pounds, and operate for four hours on battery power or continuously when tethered. The robots feature both legs and wheels for navigating industrial environments and accessing existing workstations designed for human workers. This human-scale design enables Apollo to replace task-specific industrial machines over time, with Cardenas framing the value proposition as "one robot to do thousands of tasks, versus a thousand robots doing a single task."
The company has secured commercial agreements with Mercedes-Benz, GXO Logistics, and Jabil for pilot deployments in factories and warehouses. Mercedes-Benz uses Apollo for transporting components and material handling, while GXO deploys the robots for warehouse inventory picking and trailer unloading operations. These real-world deployments generate performance data that Apptronik uses to refine both hardware and software systems, creating competitive advantages over rivals still conducting primarily laboratory testing.
Apptronik's strategic partnership with Google DeepMind provides access to Gemini Robotics AI models that power Apollo's perception and decision-making capabilities. This collaboration enables Apptronik to leverage Google's massive AI research investments without bearing full development costs internally. Howard Morgan, general partner at B Capital, highlighted this partnership as providing substantial value: "Google is spending a lot and we're partnering with them, so we'll get the benefit of that."
The fresh capital will fund production scaling, expand Apptronik's Austin footprint, establish a California office opening later in 2026, and build robot training and data collection facilities. The company plans to hire at least 200 additional employees beyond its current workforce of over 300, focusing on manufacturing, engineering, and commercial deployment roles.
Apptronik emerged from the University of Texas Human Centered Robotics Lab in 2016, building on nearly a decade of humanoid development including work on NASA's Valkyrie robot program. This technical foundation differentiates Apptronik from newer entrants rushing to capitalize on recent AI advances without deep robotics expertise. The company has developed 15 previous robots before Apollo, providing extensive experience with mechanical design, control systems, and human-robot interaction challenges.
Cardenas declined to provide specific timelines for mass production or detailed capability specifications for early commercial units, contrasting with competitors known for ambitious public projections. The company plans to reveal more details about Apollo's production roadmap and performance specifications later in 2026.
